Recently, it has been noted that a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (so called “PEFC” which is “polymer electrolyte fuel cell”) as a driving source or the like used for a fuel cell automobile. The PEFC can generate an electric power even at normal temperatures, resulting in that the PEFC is applied to various usages.
Generally, a fuel cell system is constituted so that a proton-conductive high-polymer electrolytic layer (so called “PEM layer”) is sandwiched a cathode at one side and an anode at the other side. And, the fuel cell system generates an electric power by an electrochemical reaction between oxygen in an air supplied to the cathode and hydrogen supplied to the anode. The electric power generated using the fuel cell is used for a main motor that drives the fuel cell automobile, a drive motor such as a cooling water circulation pump and a compressor served as auxiliaries, and the like.
In view of efficiency of generation of an electric power, an air supply system used for such a fuel cell battery system is driven, e.g. under an air compressor defined by 200–300 [kPaG] at maximum. Temperature of a compressed air using the compressor becomes higher (at 100° C. or more) by a compressed heat and thereafter the compressed air is exhausted. Further, the air exhausted from the compressor is supplied to the fuel cell after the compressed air is cooled by way of an intercooler built in a cooling system of the fuel cell, because the fuel cell system is driven at a temperature for activating the fuel cell being lower than a temperature of the air exhausted from the compressor.
As a related art thereto, JP 2000-313239A discloses a fuel cell automobile to which such a fuel cell system is loaded. A drive module having a main motor on an upper portion of which a compressor and the like are attached and a transmission connected to the main motor are loaded, by way of a rubber mount for absorbing vibration, to a body of the fuel cell automobile. According to this configuration, the rubber mount can serve as both a vibration absorber and a mounting member by loading the compressor to the upper portion of the drive module, resulting in that the vibration of the compressor is, by way of the drive module, absorbed by the body of the automobile and a room in the automobile is effectively used.